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Education news and issues in the Ozarks.

Through a Rigorous Schedule and Diet Coke Servings, John Jungmann Settling in at SPS

It's 1 o'clock on a Tuesday. Dr. John Jungmann is treating himself to a large Diet Coke from the Kum & Go at National & Chestnut. It’s a frequent indulgence for the new superintendent of Springfield Public Schools, and one of the few consistent things he finds time to fit into his busy daily schedule.

Credit Scott Harvey / KSMU
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KSMU
His traditional Diet Coke stop, as Jungmann puts it, would preferably lead to the purchase of a medium-sized drink. But on this day he had a choice of only small or large. He chose large.

We had just come from a luncheon of the Rotary Club of Springfield, which Jungmann tries to attend a couple of times a month.

Forums like these are key for the superintendent of the largest school district in Missouri as he works to integrate himself into the community. It’s a newness that’s evident from the laminated document Jungmann keeps inside his car with the addresses of the district’s 50 plus schools.

“This is my cheat sheet,” Jungmann says. “So I keep this handy… There’s all of our  elementary schools, our middle schools, our high schools, obviously. It kind of serves as my quick; oh where am I going? Where’s it at?”

Jungmann began as SPS superintendent this past July, after a time at Liberty Public Schools near Kansas City in the same role. Before that he led the school district in Monnet. Jungmann met his wife Kerry while growing up in Lamar. They have three girls; Jolie is about to turn 3, while Macie and Halle attend fourth and seventh grade, respectively.   

“They always get harassed a little bit about being the connection to knowing whether there’s going to be a snow day – that’s the most powerful piece of information that they might be able to possess,” Jungmann chuckles.

Rightly so, his family is on full display inside his office, along with some of his fondest memories.

“Kind of mementos from when I was a principal it was my first team as I left Monett Middle School,” he describes.

Jungmann is describing the items on his bookshelf along the north wall of his office. Bookends fashioned from the Arkansas Razorback logo represent where Jungmann earned his doctorate in education, and another set featuring golf clubs signifies his passion for the sport; a framed image two shelves higher supports that claim.

“One of my favorite memories – The Masters 2012 – we were able, my brother and I, to take my dad for his 70th birthday. When Bubby Watson won it the first time. And you’ll see, right there is me, so I was standing behind him when one of his, not the infamous shot, but one of the infamous shots on [hole] number 10.”

Credit Scott Harvey / KSMU
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KSMU
Executive Office Liaison Kathy Looten prepares a document for Jungmann's upcoming meeting with state lawmakers.

Kathy Looten is the executive office liaison at SPS and Board of Education secretary. Among other things, she’s got the job of managing Dr. Jungmann’s daily schedule. No easy task for a man of Jungmann’s position, who on this day looks to have at least 10 appointments. The previous day?

“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11!” says Jungmann, counting the appointments on his Outlook calendar from yesterday. "A new record!"

Looten: “It sounds so much worse when you count them!”  

Up next for the superintendent is Parker McKenna, the district’s chief human resources officer, to discuss historical culture-climate data and future strategies. 

15 minutes later, I accompany Jungmann down the hallway for his scheduled appearance at a Missouri College Advisory Corps presentation. The college-access advising program through the University of Missouri has expanded its partnerships this year to Springfield’s Parkview and Hillcrest high schools.

As he’s listening, Jungmann takes a photo of one of the MCAC slides, and tweets it out to his more than 2,200 followers. It’s one of the methods he uses to reach out to the community.

His three months of listening sessions early on at SPS helped Jungmann assess district successes and challenges, leading to the release of an eight-goal plan in early November.

“So much of your first 90 days is you can’t get full comprehensive understanding of this entire system. You’re just catching chunks here and there to try and understand all of the pieces and start to put the puzzle together to understand how it functions.”

It’s coming up on 3 o’clock now, and Looten is working with the superintendent to finalize an outline for this afternoon’s meeting between board members and state lawmakers.

The meeting is designed for school officials to outline their goals for the upcoming legislative session, and Jungmann to offer his support throughout the process.

Credit Scott Harvey / KSMU
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KSMU
Jungmann and SPS Board members meet with area state lawmakers to present the district's priorities for the 2015 session

“What I ask of you is that I be one of your education resources," says Jungmann, addressing the lawmakers. "You can text me anytime, you can call me anytime and I hope you’ll do that and I expect you to do that."

The Board of Education meeting would follow that night, wrapping yet up another busy day in the life of Superintendent John Jungmann.

Springfield Public Schools is a large business with a lot of moving parts. That’s what Jungmann wants you to know. And that district officials are working hard to make all those parts function as one to serve students.

“Transportation exists and the food service exists and the custodial and the facility departments all exist alongside the academic department to make sure that a kid gets picked up, or the door gets opened at the right time, they walk into a safe warm environment with food ready for them, and then they walk into a classroom where teachers care about them,” Jungmann says.

While his love for Diet Coke is without question, for Jungmann, the opportunity to visit classrooms and engage with students, which doesn’t happen every day, is his favorite part about the job.